Bosnian Food Recipes

In one sense Bosnian food recipes are no different from others from countries of former Yugoslavia; The influences have mainly come from Greece, Italy, Austria, Hungary and Turkey. This has an explanation in the history of the region.

History Of Bosnia-Herzegovina
The first tribes in the area recognized by written history were called the Illyrians . The Ancient Greek empire traded with them but never annexed the region, something the Romans did. By year 9 AD the whole region was annexed by the rapidly expanding empire. After 395 and the division it became part of the Western Roman Empire. A few tumultuous centuries followed with Ostrogothic, Alanic, Hunnic and Byzantine invasions. In the 5th and 6th century various Slavic tribes arrived and merged with the domestic population then consisting of Romans and Illyrians. By the 9th century two new powers had emerged and had control over parts of modern Bosnia: The Serbs and the Croats. By the 11th century it was the Kingdom of Hungary and the Byzantine Empire who traded control of the region with each other. In the early 12th century local powers took over, that marked start of what was later to become the first Bosnian kingdom. During this time the region Herzegovina became a name. So called Bans where the leaders/kings, it peaked in power and territory in the 14th century when it included all of today's Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as a good part of modern Croatia. Ottoman Turkey started to expand into the region in the 15th century, 1463 marks the end of the Bosnian kingdom. The whole of modern Bosnia became Ottoman only in the 16th century. The initial Turkish presence was constructive and positive on both cultural and economic levels, arguable not the case in the other Balkan territories. Bosnia and its inhabitants became part of the Ottoman Empire, an effect you can see in the many cultural buildings that are there today. Bosnian food recipes are to this they were similar to those of Turkey. As an effect a large amount of the domestic Slavs became Muslim, today the Bosniaks (Muslim Bosnians) make up about 50% of the population putting them in a clear majority. Unrest and rebellions during the 18th and 19th centuries were reactions to a much more abusive Turkish rule. The Ottoman gradually lost power, much due to several costly wars, in 1878 the territory that is Bosnia and Herzegovina today officially became under Austro-Hungarian rule. The tactics of the new landlords was to quench the Slavic nationalism since it was considered a constant threat to their sovereignity; they introduced new laws and tried to spread the Roman-Catholic faith. The region officially became Austro-Hungarian territory in 1909. The development was not only met with resistance from the Bosnians, also in the neighbouring Serbia where a pan-Slavic friendly government met the developments with anger. In 1914 a Serbian nationalist fired the famous shots in Sarajevo killing the Archduke and Emperor to be Franz Ferdinand; it eventually led to the beginning of World War I. Bosnia and Herzegovina survived the war quite unscathed. After the war they joined the newly formed state that would become the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, it united the South Slavs in the region in an unprecedented way. In the newly formed kingdom tensions between Serbs and Croats were always imminent, the issues of many minorities such as the Bosniaks were subsequently ignored. The Muslim part of the population also had lost significant land and wealth in the new administration. In 1941 Germany and Italy invaded Yugoslavia. The region became part of the newly formed state of Croatia, the Nazi friendly regime orchestrated the persecution of hundreds of thousands; Jews, Romas and left wing Serbs were transported and eventually executed in concentration camps. Jozep Broz Tito organized a resistance, they came to be known as partizans. Tito and his forces had military success not only fighting Germans but also chetniks which were Serbian royalists. Soviet forces helped to eventually drive the Germans out and overthrow the Croatian regime. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was formally declared in 1946 with Bosnia and Herzegovina as one of its republics. The new president Tito managed with control to deal with the many ethnic and political tensions quite successfully. After his death in 1980 the stability was gradually lost, in the early 1990's Yugoslavia started to fall apart. Bosnia and Herzegovina became the arena for Serbian and Croatian power struggles at the same time that there was a movement for independence, all three parts declared new states in the region; only the declaration favouring Bosnian independence was ever recognized by the UN. The Serbs invaded in 1992. During the war there were conflicts between all three entities, however in the end the Bosniaks and the Croats joined cause and managed to halt and push back the Serbs. NATO intervened in 1995 when they started bombing the Serbs, later the same year the war came to an end. After the war Serbs were charged for crimes against humanity, in principal commited against Bosnian Muslims. The declaration of sovereignity from 1992 still stands and is today respected by their neighbouring states. The war took a heavy toll on the economy, a lot of the country's structure was completely destroyed.

Bosnian Cuisine
To be correct I should use the term Bosnian-Herzegovinan cuisine since that is the name of the country, for practical reasons I will only use the term 'Bosnian'. There are three major ethnical groups in the country, Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. Thus you could easily divide Bosnian food recipes in to several cuisines depending on ethnical belonging. You can clearly see influences from Austrian, Hungarian, Greek, Italian and Turkish cuisine. The influences from Turkey are more prominent than in other former Yugoslavian republics, this due to the Muslim Bosniak majority.

Some Examples Of Bosnian Ingredients And Dishes
Examples of typical ingredients in Bosnian food recipes could be: Onions, garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, aubergine, spinach, wheat, plums, apples and beans. Of the dairy products white cheese, yogurt and sour cream are most common, often made by sheep's milk. Beef and lamb are the preferred meats, for religious reasons pork much less so. Below is a list of some typical dishes.

Travnicki A hard salty cheese in brine.
Kajmak Clotted cream
Pavlaka Fatty sour cream
Somun Flat bread
Corba Chowder, come in many varieties.
Ajvar A relish made from red bell peppers, chillies, garlic and aubergine. Ranges from mild to hot. Has its origins in Serbia.
Pindur Aubergine based relish spread.
Tursija Pickled vegetables.
Prsut Italian ham ie. prosciutto.
Pilav A rice dish, cooked in broth.
Kacamak Made from cornmeal, a varaition of Italian polenta. Can be prepared in various fashions; often with potatoes and cheese for.
Pita A pita in Bosnia is a filled pie made from filo dough. Can be sweet as a starter, dessert or main course.
Tarhana Noodle soup.
Bosanski lonac Meat stew, traditionally cooked in cauldron over open fire. A Bosnian food recipe that could date back to invasions by nomadic Asian tribes.
Jagnjetina Barbecued lamb.
Sudzuk Spicy sausage of Turkish origin made of beef.
Cevapci Is a kind ofa kebab served in somun (ie. flat bread), can be prepared from lamb or beef. Served with kajmak and ajvar.
Grah Bean stew.
Pljeskavica Minced meat served in the form of a hamburger, without the bread.
Punjena paprika Fried or oven baked bell peppers filled with minced meat, rice and vegetables,
Tarator A cold yogurt soup, most of the time with cucumbers garlic and spices. Popular all over the Balkans an in the Middle East.
Sarme Grapevine or cabbage leaves filled with a either/and minced meat, rice and vegetables.
Burek A very popular fast food of Turkish origin, filo dough often filled with cheese and meat.
Gulas The meat and vegetable soup/stew has Hungarian origin.
Sataras A vegetable side dish based on roasted bell peppers, originally from Croatia.
Meze is a common appetizer assortment, many small dishes like olives, humus, white cheese, vegetables and various types of dried and processed meats and sausages.
Musaka Oven baked aubergine, potato and minced meat dish of Middle Eastern origin.
Duvec A meat and vegetable stew.
Palacinke Crepe
Baklava Sweet bread made of filo pastry and often filled with nuts. Sweetened with honey. Turkish origin.
Tulumbe Deep fried dough tubes, filled or coated with sweet syrup. Similar to the Spanish churro.
Krofne A jam filled doughnut. Like a Berliner.
Tufahije Walnut stuffed stewed apples, of Bosnian origin.
Ruske Kape Coconut lined small cakes.
Rahatluk 'Turkish delight'.
Kompot Fruit jelly, popular all over Eastern Europe.

Bosnian Beverages
The national strong spirit is rakija which is a fruit brandy common all over the Balkans and in Turkey. Common types are sljivovica (plum), and kruskovac (pear) and jabukovaca (apple). There is production of wine, they are quite sweet and have lots of taste. Ayran, a yogurt and salt drink of the Middle East which is quite popular. Coffee is enjoyed Turkish style, boiled in a pot with sugar.

Submitted Bosnian Food Recipes
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